Composite mailing package and method of preparing same

ABSTRACT

A composite mailing package comprising an envelope having a view window provided therein and a mountable plaque within said envelope. Said plaque having a front face including a pictorial image thereon and a rear face having a layer of pressuresensitive adhesive. A removable combined protective backing and advertising sheet is positioned over and in removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive and contains the advertising message on its outer face. The removable backing sheet may be stripped from said plaque to expose said pressuresensitive adhesive for mounting said plaque on a support surface.

United States-Patent Meehan' [1 1 3,656,684 Apr. 18,1972

1541 COMPOSITE MAILING PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME Desmond Meehan, 250 Grath Road, Scarsdale, NY. 10583 Nov. 19, 1970 Inventor:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

U.S. Cl ...229/92.8, 229/71, 53/31 Int. Cl ..B65d 27/04 Field of Search ..229/71, 92.8, 70, 73, 74;

53/31; 206/DIG. l6, DIG. 29

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,035,218 3/1936 Bloom 2,909,313 10/1959 Maish..." 3,346,172 10/1967 Tucker ..229/92.8

3,380,648 4/1968 De Lyra ..229/71 Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Stephen-P. Garbe Attorney-Amster & Rothstein [s7 ABSTRACT i g A composite mailing package comprising an envelope having I a view window provided therein and a mountable plaque within said envelope. Said plaque having a front face including a pictorial image thereon and'a rear face having a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive. A removable combined protective backing and advertising sheet is positioned over and in removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive and containsvthe advertising message onits outer face. The removable backing sheet may be stripped from said plaque to expose said pressure-sensitive adhesive for mounting said plaque on a support surface.

I 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures LubKY 2 ,612 nun/1B R This invention relates generally to direct mailadvertising and more particularly to an improved composite mailing package and method of preparing same.

In the field of direct mail advertising, various devices and approaches have been used heretofore to entice'the consumer-recipient of the direct mail advertising package to open said package and to read the advertising message contained therein. The devices and approaches used heretofore have met with varying degrees of success, but a significant need exists for a package structure which inherently is attractive enough to significantly increase the percentage of consumer attention to the mailing package.

One approach has been to involve the consumer-recipient in a lottery type activity requiring the return'of a postcard carrying the name and address'of the consumer-recipient and a series of numbers or other identifying characters that would identify his entry into the lottery activity and provide him with an opportunity of winning one of a number and variety of prizes. Although this approach has met with some degree of success, the consumer has come to recognize this material immediately upon receipt. The percentage of use of these lottery-type mailings has never been very high and in recent times most consumers have concluded prior to opening said package that they are not interested in participating and therefore never get to see or read the accompanying advertising material.

- Many other kinds of enticements are used, but none of them have fulfilled the existing needs. The gimmick-free mailings are the most often used, but the percentage of them actually examined by the recipients is extremely low. r

The problems described above have demonstrated a need in the field of direct mail advertising for a novel composite mailing package and method of preparing same that will efficiently and effectively carry the advertising message to the consumer and insure his attention to the advertising message.

Therefore, it is a prime object of the present invention to provide a novel composite mailing package and method of preparing same that will encourage the consumer-recipient to open said package, remove the contents therefrom and read the advertising message contained therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved composite mailing package and method of preparing same that would encourage a consumer-recipient to investigate the contents of said package.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved composite mailing package and method of preparing same that would provide the consumer-recipient with an immediately available desireable item that is visible through a view-window in the mailing package and which is useable by the consumer in the form in which it is received, without any request from the consumer to send in a form, mail some money or box tops, check numbers, enter a contest etc.

The above and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a novel composite mailing package and method of preparing same comprising an envelope having a view window provided therein and a mountable plaque within said envelope having a front face including a pictorial image thereon and a rear face having a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive. A combined backing and advertising sheet is positioned over and in removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive and contains the advertising message on its outer face. Means are provided on said backing sheet to enable said sheet to be grasped and stripped from said card to expose said pressure-sensitive adhesive for mounting said card on a support surface.

Although the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter of the invention, a preferred embodiment is described in the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the rear or mailing face of an envelope;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the front or window face of said envelope;

. FIG. 3 is a section elevational view of said envelope taken along lines-3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view illustrating the contents of said envelope and is partially in section showing the means provided to remove the combined backing and advertising sheet;

FIG. 5 illustrates a card having a pictorial image thereon mounted on a vertical wall; I

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the car mounted on a wall.

With reference to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown anenvelope 10, having address indicia l2 printed on the rear face 14. A flap 16 is provided to close said envelope. Advertising indicia 18 may be printed on the rear face 14. The front face 20 of said envelope 10 has a view win dow 22 provided therein to allow a view of the material contained within said envelope and in the prepared embodiment shown herein, is free from any objectionable commercial printing.

A mountable card, plaque, or picture sheet 24 has a pictorial image 26 provided on one side thereof and a layer of adhesive material; 28 provided on the reverse side. Normally a desirable picture is reproduced at 26 or there may be otherprinted indicia such as a first aid chart, a map, useful cooking instructions etc., printed at that point. It is important for the success of the combined device that the indicia printed at 26 be desirable, both at the immediate impact when seen by the consumer and after the package has been opened so that the consumer may be moved to display the printed material on a wall or other support surface.

A backing sheet 30 having advertising information and other appropriate data printed on its outer face 32 is placed in engagement with said adhesive layer 28 to provide protection for said adhesive and to provide advertising on the reverse .side ofsaidcard 24. 1

As best shown in FIG. 3, the present invention provides an improved composite mailing package for use in direct mail advertisingincluding card 24 having a pictorial image 26 on one side thereof within an envelope 10 whereby the pictorial image is visible through window 22 of said envelope. The

1 package also includes a return card 34 which carries further advertising indicia related to that on the surface 32 of the backing sheet 30 and which may also be related to the indicia contained on surface image 26 on the sheet 24.

The card 24 is used by the consumer to indicate his order, request additional information, orv simply to participate in some lottery type or other competitive activity providing him with an opportunity to win one of several and varied prizes.

A comer of said backing sheet 30 is conveniently provided with a tab 36 or other means for enabling said sheet to be removed from the adhesive layer by grasping said tab 36 and stripping the sheet 30 from said card exposing the adhesive layer 28.

There will now be described the sequence of operations in which the combined device in accordance with this invention is used by the consumer. Upon receipt of the device in the mail, the consumer immediately observes the image 26 through the window 22 and reads, at a glance, that this image is adapted for immediate mounting on her wall. She then opens the envelope 10 and removes the contents thereof, including the mountable plaque 24. Upon turning to the back of the plaque to remove the combined backing and advertising sheet 30, she will immediately observe the advertising message printed thereon.

Since the advertising message will be related to the pictorial image she has found desirable to mount on her wall, she will read the advertising message. Thereafter, she will grasp tab'36 and peel or strip the combined backing and advertising sheet printed on the combined backing and advertising sheet which she had earlier observed and read, and if so moved will utilize the .return card 34 as directed either on the combined sheet 30 oron card 34.

lnv accordance with the method aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of preparing a composite mailing package designed to encourage the consumer-recipient to examine the contents of said mailing package. An' envelope is prepared having address and advertising indicia 12 and 18 respectively, printed onthe rear face 14 thereof, said advertising indicia indicating the matter being advertised and further indicating the inclusion within said packageof a gift for the consumer that he may view through a window 22 included in ing a pictorial image 26 on one face thereof. A layer 28 of pressure-sensitive adhesive material is applied to the rear face of said card 24 for permanent engagement therewith. A backingsheet'30 for protecting said adhesive layer and containing advertising indicia 32 printed thereon is positioned over and in removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. Said card having the backing sheet applied thereto is thereafter inserted into said envelope 10 in a manner such that the pictorial image 26 is visible through winal image might be a portrait of a celebrated actor or actress.

Also, the pictorial image may be one of general interest such as a scenic view characteristic of a particular season of the year. I

The novel composite mailing package provides the consumer-zrecipient with a free gift in the form of a pictorial image of intercstthat he could mount on a flat mounting surface or wall. Information may be printed on the rear face 14 of said I envelope advising the consumer-recipient of the mountable card 24 contained within said envelope and that same may be viewed through the window 22 of front face 20.

This composite mailing package will thereby encourage the consumer-recipient to open said mailing package and examine the contents thereof. Accordingly, the consumer-recipient will receive the advertising message contained therein. This is further .insured because the consumer must remove the front face of said envelope. The gift comprises'a card havbacking sheet 30 containing said advertising information 32 in order to mount the mountable card 24.

The foregoing description is intended to be merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A

latitude of modification, change and'substitution is intended wherein some features of the invention will be employedwithout a corresponding use of other features so described above. Accordingly, various modes of carryingout the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims. I

What is claimed is:

l. A composite mailing package comprising: an envelope having a front and rear face, the rearface, having address and advertising indicia printed thereon and the front face includ-' ing a transparent material forming a view window therethrough comprising a major portion of the area of said front face; a. mountable plaque within said envelope, said plaque having a frontface including means thereonforming a pictorial image and a rear face having a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon in permanent engagement therewith; a combined 7 adhesiVe protecting and advertising-indicia-carrying backing sheet pressed over andin removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive layer; means on said backing sheet to enable same to be grasped and stripped from said plaque to expose said pressure-sensitive adhesive forv 1 mounting said plaque on a support surface; and, a replycard 4 advertising material comprising the steps of: preparing an enwithin said envelope having a front face for address and advertising indicia thereon related to the advertising indicia printed on said backing sheet.

2. Composite mailing package according to claim 1 wherein said envelope includes flap means for completely closing said envelope.

3. A method of preparing a composite mailing package of velope having a front and rear face, the rear face having address and advertising indiciaprinted thereon and the front face including transparent material forming a view window therethrough; applying a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive material in permanent engagement with the rear face of a plaque having a pictorial image on its front face; placing a combined adhesive-protecting and advertising-indicia-carrying backing sheet over and in removable engagement with said pressure sensitive adhesive layer; inserting a reply card and said plaque into said envelope whereby said pictorialimage is visible through said view window.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said backing sheet includes means thereon to enable same to be grasped and stripped from said card exposing said pressure-sensitive 

1. A composite mailing package comprising: an envelope having a front and rear face, the rear face having address and advertising indicia printed thereon and the front face including a transparent material forming a view window therethrough comprising a major portion of the area of said front face; a mountable plaque within said envelope, said plaque having a front face including means thereon forming a pictorial image and a rear face having a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon in permanent engagement therewith; a combined adhesive-protecting and advertising-indicia-carrying backing sheet pressed over and in removable engagement with said pressure-sensitive adhesive layer; means on said backing sheet to enable same to be grasped and stripped from said plaque to expose said pressure-sensitive adhesive for mounting said plaque on a support surface; and, a reply card within said envelope having a front face for address and advertising indicia thereon related to the advertising indicia printed on said backing sheet.
 2. Composite mailing package according to claim 1 wherein said envelope includes flap means for completely closing said envelope.
 3. A method of preparing a composite mailing package of advertising material comprising the steps of: preparing an envelope having a front and rear face, the rear face having address and advertising indicia printed thereon and the front face including transparent material forming a view window therethrough; applying a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive material in permanent engagement with the rear face of a plaque having a pictorial image on its front face; placing a combined adhesive-protecting and advertising-indicia-carrying backing sheet over and in removable engagement with said pressure sensitive adhesive layer; inserting a reply card and said plaque into said envelope whereby said pictorial image is visible through said view window.
 4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said backing sheet includes means thereon to enable same to be grasped and stripped from said card exposing said pressure-sensitive adhesive for mounting said card on a support surface. 